Autotether?

[TheGreatEscapeII]

We have a 14 month old that loves the boat. Looking at this device the Autotether Wireless Lanyard System. Has anybody used one, what's the good, bad and the ugly about it?

Les, does BoatFix carry it? I did a search and nothing came up.

 

[Tim R]

IMO, I'd favor a good quality PFD and a responsible adult keeping an eye on your child, rather than a lanyard. The problem I have with a lanyard is that if your kid tumbles over the side, the cord could get wrapped around his neck and serve as a noose, which is less favorable than going in the water. Lanyards are really designed for those who cruise or sail solo, where there's no one else to pick you up if you go over.

 

[JohnC]

Tim, it's wireless, no lanyards to worry about. The idea is captain and guests wear these clipped on themselves somewhere and if one of them ends up a pre-determined distance from the boat and alarm goes off and you can attach it to the kill switch on an outboard. The idea is to eliminate the lanyard connection on outboard boats while still having the safety feature of killing the engine if you fall overboard. For an inboard boat without a kill switch you can hook it up to an alarm or your horn.

I spoke with the rep a year or so ago at a boat show. Sounds like a good system but I didn't buy it at this point so have no real world experience. We know a couple where on a long trip running in the ocean the wife somehow fell overboard while the husband up on the flybridge never knew she was off the boat. Lukcily they were traveling in a group and the boat behind them picked her up. I've heard a couple other stories like that which happened on fishing trips. Not a bad idea to have something like that if you're concerned.

 

[Robyns Nest]

I have one, use it on the center console. Works as advertised. I like it and recommend it.

Like John said, it's not only for the operator of the boat to activate the kill switch, they give you 2 additional remotes for the crew. Sounds a loud alarm if they fall overboard or get out of range from the base unit.

 

[TheGreatEscapeII]

Tim R, not what the product is about. It's a complete wireless system. She wears a PDF as soon as we have her out of our SUV, Always wears it at the dock, on the dock and on the boat.

 

[boatn]

i think the auto-tether is water activated, not distance activated. I can't think of the name of the distance activated engine disable system.

 

[Robyns Nest]

It's both. The system works off rf signal, rf does not transmit thru water, thus triggering the system.

If you walk away from the boat at the dock the autotether will trigger at a certain distance.

 

[btoran]

johnc - if the admiral falls overboard and the captain doesn't realize it until later, he might as well just head out to sea and be done with it 'cause his life is over anyway.